by Jadyn Aldrich
Class of 2025
Those familiar with Crown College’s campus in St. Bonifacius can attest to its exceptionally beautiful landscape. The campus borders Lake Parley and is surrounded by acres of woods that practically glow with color every fall. The school’s location outside of the greater Twin Cities area not only makes this scenic environment possible but allows for a more private, small-town feel. Also, as a boldly Christian school, Crown prides itself on the main building’s unique and meaningful layout in the shape of a cross.
What may be less familiar are the unlikely events and bold steps of faith which led to the procurement of Crown’s current campus, a process that can only be described as miraculous. This evolution includes a different campus location.
It was during President Harry Hardwick’s term, from 1959 –1968, that ideas of expansion for the college began. To say the school was in need of a bigger campus is an understatement. Significant student-body growth meant that Saint Paul Bible College (as Crown was called at the time) had entirely outgrown its location at 1361 Englewood Avenue in St. Paul. Local houses nearby had been converted into makeshift dorms, and a local hotel was being used for men’s housing. Recognizing the need, President Hardwick was inspired by school founder J. D. Williams’ sentiment of “redeeming the time,” and purchased 35 acres of land in Arden Hills with plans to construct a new, more accommodating campus. The building design was scaled to the property, and construction was planned to begin before 1970.
However, after a year of fundraising, only $21,000 of the planned $4.5 million project had been secured. Further complications arose when, in July of 1968, President Hardwick felt led to make the difficult decision of leaving Crown. Dr. Donald Trouten was selected to serve as interim president from 1968-1970. Despite significant efforts, he became increasingly aware that difficulties and lack of funds were making the move less and less tangible. The process to even begin construction would be pushed back at least three years.
The campus expansion appeared hopeless.
Reflecting on this uncertain period decades later, Dr. Trouten shared in his 2000 Crown Homecoming address, a Bible verse that he had come to rely on. Psalms 4:6 says: “Many say that God will never help us. Prove them wrong, O Lord, by letting the light of your face shine down upon us.” As Dr. Trouten embraced the word of the Lord, something significant happened. Leo Berreth (1945), who served as trustee board chairman and the district superintendent, all but stumbled upon a new potential campus location.
Berreth had been looking at a possible church to purchase, and upon hearing that the asking price was much higher than expected, he laughed and joked that, “If I had that kind of money, I’d buy a school!” The next day, the realtor called him back and shared that if he truly was looking to buy a school, there was a Jesuit seminary for sale in St. Bonifacius. Berreth convinced Dr. Trouten and a reluctant Viron Miller (Trustee 1956) to accompany him to check it out.
The sturdy, Mankato-stone building was less than ten years old and set on 173 acres of beautiful, wooded property. Not only would this save the college the cost and toil of building from scratch, but the campus had been designed to be a school and would require very little renovation. However, the building was also valued at over $10 million, which was entirely out of the school’s budget.
But the college board members had hope, and they set up a meeting over dinner with a representative of the Vatican to discuss. Incredibly, after dinner, the price had been negotiated to only $3.1 million, including all the furnishings and a rowboat. But there was a strict contingency; the sale must be made through a contract for deed. The first payment of $190,000 would have to be made up-front, in cash, within 30 days, and the second payment of $500,000 would have to be made 18 months later. If a single payment was missed, the Jesuit order of the Roman Catholic Church would reclaim the building, and St. Paul Bible College would be instantly dissolved with no money, prospects, or hopes of ever operating again.
According to Berreth’s 1995 speech, the school board eventually agreed that “if God performed a miracle,” they would carry through with the deal, and concluded the meeting in prayer. The following week, while on a routine visit to Liberty Bank, Berreth and Miller were unexpectedly stopped by the bank president and called into his office. This was not overly unusual, but when both gentlemen sat down, he surprised them by asking, “Why don’t you do something big?” He pointed out how they only ever dealt in small loans, and followed up saying, “Tackle something big once, man. Show me what you can do!” The bank president had been completely unaware of the situation with the potential campus.
Berreth and Miller filled him in on the details of the St. Bonifacius school. They discussed some other business, and then the bank president invited them to dinner the next night. After dinner the following evening, as Berreth and Miller were about to leave, the bank president suddenly handed them a blank note and asked them to sign it. Confused, they asked him what it was. He responded saying, “Well, if you really want to stick your neck out and buy that campus, you have got $190,000 in your checking account!”
It was the miracle that the college needed to take that step out in faith. On September 30, 1969, the contract was signed, and the next 18 months were characterized by intense prayer, dedication, and trust. On more than one occasion the board was told that, given the school’s finances, the task was impossible. But they held fast to the words Dr. Trouten had read in Psalms, praying that God prove those who doubted were wrong. Over and over, there were clear reminders never to limit the Lord’s capabilities.
There was no doubt of God’s supernatural intervention when, 18 months later, the college was able to make its payment. Miraculously, the school had successfully raised $500,000 dollars in 18 months for the St. Bonifacius campus when they had previously only been able to raise $21,000 in 12 months for the Arden Hills property.
In 1970 the school took occupancy, and a dedication ceremony was held including speeches from both the contemporary president of the Christian and Missionary Alliance Dr. Nathan Bailey, and the newly-elected college president, Dr. Arthur Johnston. God continued to provide for St. Paul Bible College, and for every subsequent payment over the next fifteen years. The college had come a long way from its humble beginnings. From its first meetings in the private home of Newton Frost under founder J. D. Williams, to its current residence at the 173-acre St. Bonifacius “Miracle Campus.”
As emphasized by Dr. Joe Tewinkel (1957) in his book, The Victor’s Crown (formerly published as Crusaders), the story is not yet complete. This is evidenced in how God currently uses Crown College, its faculty, staff, and its students for His purposes. Dr. Trouten summed it up best in a letter to former Crown College President Dr. Gary Benedict (1972) when he stated, “Indeed, the miracle continues.”
